I can't remember when the earth turned slowly
by The Blonde Haired Goose
Summary: Blaine was done with the army. Or, at least he thought he was. He has to go back one more time, leaving his fiancé and daughter behind.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N Hi, this is me, posting yet another story that is not 'Don't forget me'. I promise, it has not been abandoned. Right now I have a lot on my plate, but I will try to continue it as soon as possible. This story is already written, so you won't have to worry about another WIP.**

Chapter 1

"I have to go back out there," Blaine whispered, eyes teary as he looked down at his daughter, sleeping soundly in her crib. "What?" Kurt asked, grabbing Blaine's shoulder, refusing to believe it. "They – they called this morning," Blaine said, not taking his eyes away from the sleeping child, not daring to look at Kurt. "But – I thought you were done. They told us you were done!"

Kurt's voice rose slightly, and Blaine finally turned to him, lifting his finger to his lips. "Kurt, please, keep your voice down," he said, gesturing to the baby in the crib, sleeping soundly. She had no idea what was going on around her. "I – They said they need me for one more mission, then that's it. After that I'm done, I promise."

Kurt looked down at their child. If they had known that Blaine had to go back, would they still have started the adoption process? Kurt didn't know. He couldn't imagine having to raise her on his own, without Blaine there to support him. "How long?" he whispered, so quietly that Blaine had trouble making out the words. "What was that?" he asked, and Kurt cleared his throat, looked to his fiancé and repeated the words, louder this time.

"8 months, I think," he said, and Kurt nodded. That wasn't too bad. He had once been overseas for 12. That had been torture. Not that 8 months wasn't going to be hard too. It was. It was going to be terrifying, being without Blaine, while their daughter grew without him there to see it. But Kurt knew there was nothing to be done.

"I'm leaving on Saturday." Kurt nodded again. The first time Blaine had been shipped out, Kurt had been shocked to find out that Blaine had to leave so soon. But after three times, with the same procedure, it didn't hurt as bad anymore. Well, it did, but Kurt had learned to hide it. He had learned not to show his pain until after Blaine had left. Of course they talked about it. They always did.

They spent the last day before Blaine's flight talking. They would wake up, eat breakfast together, and then, just talk, all day. And as the end of the day drew nearer, they would go into the bathroom together, where together, they would shave away all of Blaine's hair. Kurt always hated seeing Blaine's beautiful curls go.

When Blaine had signed up for service after finishing college, he had told Kurt that he wanted to help people. And that hadn't changed one bit. Kurt knew how Blaine was; always selfless, always helping others before focusing on his own problems.

And Kurt was proud of him, so incredibly proud, but that didn't mean he didn't want to be selfish. He wanted nothing more than to lock the front door and swallow the key, sealing them inside forever. He didn't want to let Blaine go, but he knew that he had to. That didn't make it any easier.

When they were woken up that night, by Claire's crying, Blaine offered to check on her. As Kurt lay in bed, waiting for Blaine to return, he could hear his soft voice from the other side of the hallway. He was singing to her, softly. Kurt wondered idly when he would hear that voice again. Or if this would be one of the last times he ever heard it.

He pretended to be asleep when Blaine tiptoed back in a few minutes later. He felt the bed dip as Blaine sat down on the edge, and as he lay down, pulling the covers back over himself. Kurt didn't know how long it took before sleep engulfed him once more, but when he woke up the next morning, he had no memory of falling asleep.

Blaine was still sleeping, so he slipped out of bed, careful not to wake him, and went quietly into Claire's room. He had expected to find her sleeping, but when he entered it was to find her big blue eyes staring at him.

"Hey, baby girl," he cooed, moving closer to her crib to pick her up. "Been awake long?" he asked, though he knew she couldn't answer him. He rocked her gently, looking into her eyes as he talked in a calm and soothing voice to the little girl, barely one year old. "Papa's going away for a while, but he'll come back to us. He always does."

Kurt startles as strong hands wrap around him from the back. "Blaine, you scared me," he said, smiling over his shoulder as he secured his grip around the little girl.

"I'm sorry," Blaine mumbled into his neck. "I woke up, and you weren't there, so I figured you'd be in here," he said, pausing for a second before continuing. "And then I heard you talking…"

Kurt smiled sadly. "I'm gonna miss you so much," he said, turning around to face him. "I'm gonna miss you too. Both of you," Blaine said, gazing at their daughter.

When Kurt and Blaine had started the adoption process three years earlier, they had believed that Blaine was finished. That his time in the army was over. And when they had held their beautiful baby girl in their arms for the first time, neither one of them thought that this would ever be an issue again.

Because it shouldn't have been.

"I'm gonna miss her first steps," Blaine said sadly as he and Kurt prepared breakfast. Kurt nodded. "I'll film it," he promised. Blaine smiled. "Papa," Claire said, catching their attention. "What is it honey?" Blaine asked, kneeling down so he was eye to eye with her chair. Once she had his attention, she reached out one hand and stroked her hand clumsily down the side of his face, giggling softly.

Blaine smiled, catching her tiny hand in his big one. He was savoring the moment, because he knew he probably wouldn't have anything like it for a while.

Blaine left that Saturday, just as he said, head freshly shaven and eyes shining with tears as he said goodbye to his fiancé and his daughter. Kurt was crying silently as he watched Blaine board the plane. Claire was waving.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

6 months later

"Claire, get down from there," Kurt yelled, pressing the phone to his shoulder for a second before lifting it again. "I'm sorry Michael, what were you saying?" Kurt closed his eyes briefly, taking a deep breath. "We need to have the final pages ready for publishing by Monday." Kurt nodded, even though Michael couldn't see him. "Yeah, I know, I'll work on it tonight, I promise."

"Hey, Kurt, are you okay?" Michael asked, sounding worried. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Kurt said absentmindedly, watching the other side of the room where Claire was trying to climb onto the sofa. "How's Claire?" Michael asked, pressing further. "She's good."

Kurt wasn't especially interested in sharing stories about his private life. His life was way too stressing right now. "Are you sure you don't need a break? I mean, I could watch Claire, you know, if you wanted to go out, or something. Just say the word, and I'll be there." Kurt sighed.

"I don't really feel like going out," he said, somewhat coldly. "Yeah, I get it, man, I do, but I really think you need a break, just for one night. You've been tense at work, and I know how kids can be when they reach that age, and having to take care of her all on your own –" "I'm not in my own," Kurt said. "Blaine's coming back soon. Things will be easier then."

"Oh, you talked to him?" Kurt was about to answer when Claire hit the carpeted floor with a soft thump. He looked over abruptly at the noise, words stuck in his mouth. Claire stared back at him for a second, eyes wide and confused, before they filled with tears and her cries filled the room.

"Shit." Kurt rushed to the other side of the room, crouching down and picking up his daughter, rocking her comfortingly as he balanced his phone between his ear and shoulder. "I'm sorry, Michael, Claire fell. I swear to god, she is acting just like her father, climbing all over the furniture."

Michael laughed quietly. "Shh, honey, it's okay, it's okay, calm down baby, it's gonna be okay." Kurt whispered softly into Claire's ear, stroking her short hair as she calmed down. "I think I've got to go, Michael, Claire's upset, and I should get started on those final pages anyway. I'll talk to you later."

Kurt hung up, dropped his phone onto the couch and reached up to dry Claire's tears. "Are you okay, sweetie?" Claire nodded, sniffling. "Is there anything I can get you? Your teddy? Some orange juice?" Claire shook her head. "Papa," she said, and Kurt sighed.

"I know you miss him, Claire, I miss him too, but he'll be home soon. Just a few more months, and we'll have our papa back. Okay?" Claire nodded, and burrowed her face in Kurt's neck.

"All better now?" Kurt asked, and Claire nodded again. Kurt smiled, kissing the top of her head and lowering her carefully down to the floor. "Now let's go get you some food, before we starve to death."

Claire looked up at him with a toothy grin, and Kurt couldn't help but smile back. Despite all the stress going on in his life, he couldn't help but enjoy it. His daughter was growing up, right in front of his eyes, and Blaine would soon be there to see it too.

When Kurt had skyped with Blaine a few days earlier, he had told him that he was going on one more mission, before being sent back home in a few months. Kurt had had to keep his excitement reigned in, seeing as Claire was asleep in her room, but Kurt had been bursting with happiness on the inside.

He was going to have his fiancé back. For good this time. They would finally be able to get married. And then they'd live happily ever after, maybe getting another kid. Nothing would separate them again.

Kurt put Claire to sleep after dinner, leaving himself alone to ponder over his thoughts. He found himself smiling stupidly to himself.

A knock on the door a few seconds later pulled Kurt back to reality, though his smile stayed on his face as he went to open the door. Outside stood two men, dressed in uniforms, one of them holding a folded flag. Ice filled Kurt's stomach. No. This couldn't be happening.

"Mr. Hummel?" one of the men asked, voice serious. Kurt nodded slowly, not trusting himself to speak. "I'm afraid your fiancé, Blaine Anderson, is missing in action. He went on a mission a few days ago, but something went wrong. They were exploring an abandoned building when the roof collapsed. Your fiancé's body has not yet been found, but there haven't been any survivors yet."

Kurt felt as if his ears were stuffed with cotton. As if he was hearing it all through a thick wall. As if he was somehow separated from the entire situation. He had to be, because this could not be his Blaine. They couldn't be talking about him. They just couldn't.

"I – I talked to him just a few days ago," Kurt whispered. "He said he was coming home." One of the men reached out to grip Kurt's shoulder, squeezing it comfortingly. "I'm very sorry for your loss Mr. Hummel," he said, moving to hand over the folded flag.

Kurt accepted it with shaking hands. The other man pushed a hand into his coat, digging around for a few seconds before pulling out a necklace with two tags attached to it. Blaine's tags, Kurt realized. The man dropped them on top of the flag, and Kurt stared at them.

As their words started to sink in, Kurt's breathing sped up. Blaine was gone. He was assumed dead. He wasn't coming back. "He promised he's come back," Kurt whispered, staring at the items in his hands.

Kurt's knees gave out, and he fell to the floor, tears finally forming in the corners of his eyes. The flag was in a small heap on the floor, the tags next to it. Kurt buried his face in his eyes and cried, paying no attention to anything else. He didn't even notice when Claire started crying from all the noise he was making. He didn't notice anything.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Claire didn't understand what was happening. She had been woken up by the sounds of Kurt's crying coming from the hallway. Hearing the distressed noises his father was making, she had immediately followed suit, by starting to cry herself.

His daughters crying had somehow, through the haze of pain surrounding him, gotten through to him. He was pushing himself up and stumbling down the hall towards his daughter's room.

"I'm sorry for waking you up, honey," he whispered through the tears still pouring from his eyes. He picked her up from her crib, and started rocking her slowly, until she calmed down again.

The men had followed him inside, and were standing in the doorway, staring at the scene in front of them. Once Kurt had gotten her calmed down again, Claire fell asleep quickly, exhausted from the crying.

Kurt shut the door quietly behind him as he exited the room, and went back out to the living room, sinking slowly into the cushions of the couch. He buried his face in his hands, and let himself sink back into the ball of despair and longing he had been in earlier.

He accepted some more condolences from the officers, not bothering to get up as they moved to leave. He didn't care. He didn't care if he was being rude. He didn't care about everything. Because Blaine was gone.

His body had never been found, so they had nothing to bury, but Burt still insisted that they had to have some kind of ceremony.

Burt had also suggested that they could bury an empty casket, but Kurt knew Blaine wouldn't have wanted that. It wouldn't have made sense, spending all that money on an empty box only to have it lowered into the ground and covered in dirt.

And so people began pouring in from all over the country, all wanting to pay their respects to Blaine, and offer Kurt and Claire some comfort.

Rachel and Santana were of course still living in New York. They were some of the first people to hear it, and they heard it from Kurt. Finn came from Ohio, along with Kurt's dad and Carole. Tina, Artie, Mercedes and Puck came from Los Angeles. A lot of their old NYADA friends came, and so did most of the warblers. Blaine had really left an impact on a lot of people's lives.

Claire still hadn't grasped what was going on. How could she, when she was so young. Still, she spent a lot of time crying. Mostly because that was all Kurt seemed to do. Kurt spent most of his time in bed, while Burt took care of Claire. Burt had agreed to stay for a few days, even as Carole and Finn returned home.

The first few days were rough. Kurt barely left the bed, only the knowledge that his daughter needed him being able to pull him out of his misery, even for just a few minutes at a time. Rachel and Santana had been great, offering him help and a shoulder to cry on.

They told him he shouldn't be alone. He believed them, but he couldn't muster the strength to care. Blaine was gone. Claire was never going to see her papa again. She was going to have to grow up without him. Kurt was going to grow old alone. He knew he could never find anyone like Blaine ever again.

He sat at the kitchen table, a few days after the funeral, smiling tiredly at Claire where she was laughing and flinging food everywhere as Burt tried to feed her. He absentmindedly twirled the ring still on his finger. His engagement ring. He was never going to get married now.

Later that night, after Burt had put Claire to bed and Kurt was staring absentmindedly at the television, Burt sat down next to him. "How you holding up, kid?" he asked. Kurt shrugged. He didn't know what he was supposed to answer. His dad knew he wasn't okay.

"Do you remember after your mother died," he began quietly, and Kurt looked over at him. "I shut myself off completely, from everyone and everything. I tried to keep going, but I couldn't. It hurt too much." Burt paused. Kurt had never heard him talk like this before.

"I was sure I would never be able to love anyone or anything again. I felt like I could barely even take care of you." Kurt's heart clenched painfully at his words. He remembered how his dad had acted after his mom's funeral.

Kurt even remembered how Kurt's aunt had stayed with them for a few days, cooking and cleaning around the house, making sure both he and Burt ate something. Not unlike what Burt was doing for him now.

"And I wish I could tell you that it's gonna get better soon, but it probably won't. It'll hurt a lot, and it'll be hard to cope. But one day, things will turn. You're going to wake up one day, thinking 'Hey, maybe life isn't so bad after all. Maybe I can get through this.'"

"I can't tell you exactly when this will happen, but it will. I can promise you that. It will get better somehow."

Kurt looked at Burt with teary eyes. He leaned forward, and let Burt embrace him in a tight hug.

"Thank you dad," he said, pulling away to wipe at his eyes. "For everything."

Burt nodded. "Don't even mention it, kid. It's kinda my job, y'know."

Kurt cracked a smile, and pushed himself off the couch. "I think I'm going to bed," he said, turning towards the hallway leading to his bedroom. Just as he was about to walk away, Burt spoke again. "I know this might seem like the end of the world, but it's not. I promise you, it's not. You still have people who love you. You still have Claire. Please try to focus on that too," he said.

Kurt nodded without turning to look at him, and walked the last few steps into his room, collapsing on the bed, falling asleep mere seconds after his head hit the pillow. For the first time in days, Kurt slept without dreaming. Without Blaine's vibrant eyes, soft lips and curly hair haunting his dreams.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Almost a year and a half had passed since Blaine had left for Afghanistan. And a whole year since the funeral. Kurt had gone back to work, made sure Claire was getting to daycare every day, and seemed to be coping fairly well with the assumed death of his fiancé.

He was smiling, laughing even, on a daily basis. He seemed to be doing well. But when he got home, when he went to bed at night after having put his daughter to bed, he had trouble sleeping. He would lay staring at the ceiling for hours before finally falling into a few fitful hours of sleep before he had to get up and do it all over again.

He was getting better though. Falling asleep quicker, smiling more when people weren't around. In fact, Rachel thought he was doing so well, she had started planting the idea of dating in his head. "You haven't seen him for a year and a half, Kurt; I think it's time you got back out there."

Kurt could see what she meant, of course. He had been alone for a long time, just taking care of Claire. But at the same time, he really couldn't see himself with anyone who wasn't Blaine. He just couldn't.

Still, after weeks and weeks of nagging, he finally let Rachel set him up with one of her friends. She stayed in and watched Claire, while he let himself be dragged out the door by a guy named Tom. He was nice enough, and didn't try anything he wasn't comfortable with.

They ate dinner and went to the movies, and Kurt even let him walk him home and kiss him goodnight, but as he went inside, he knew he wouldn't call him back. It had been fun for one evening, but Kurt still had Claire to take care of. And her happiness came before anyone else's. Even Kurt's.

He told Rachel about his night, and though she seemed disappointed it wouldn't lead to anything more, she stopped badgering him.

One day, a few weeks after his date, he was at a park with Claire, sitting at a bench, watching her play. He was smiling softly; amused by the way his daughter never seemed to run out of energy, no matter how much time she spent running around the little playground. Then something in the corner of his eye caught his attention.

Turning his head, he saw the back of a head covered with short, dark curls, dressed in an army green uniform. Kurt shot up from where he had been standing, and started walking slowly towards the man.

It couldn't be. It just couldn't. But it was. But it couldn't be. He had to be insane.

Claire, having noticed her father's behavior, immediately ran up to him. "Daddy?" she asked, looking up at him before staring towards the direction he had been walking. Spotting the man there, her face lit up with a smile. "Papa?" she asked. Kurt tried to hold her back, but she slipped out of his grasp and started running.

She latched onto the soldier's leg, who immediately spun around to face the little girl. "Papa!"

Kurt caught up with them, grabbing onto Claire's arm and making her let go of the man, who Kurt did not look like Blaine at all, when Kurt saw him up close. "I'm so sorry," he said, picking the now sobbing Claire up off the ground and patting her hair soothingly. "She thought you were someone else," he explained.

The man looked down at the little girl. "It's okay," he said. "She thought I was her father?" Kurt nodded, biting his lip. He really wasn't in the mood to deal with another homophobe today, so he really hoped the guy wouldn't be pissed.

"Is he in the army?" he asked, cocking his head. At least he hadn't been offended. Kurt nodded again. "Yeah, he was," he said, flinching internally at his use of the past tense. "Oh," the guy said, looking down.

"Well," Kurt said. "I'm sorry, again, for my daughter's outburst. She's not usually like this, but she really misses her father," he continued, looking sadly down at his daughter. "No, no, it's not a problem. I get that, of course. Do you mind if I ask, how long has it been since…" he trailed off, looking uncertain.

"A year," Kurt said. "A little more, maybe."

The guy nodded. "I'm sorry. It must be hard for you, raising a kid on your own. And for her too, of course, losing one of her fathers at such a young age."

"Yeah, it's been a tough year, but we're coping." "I'm glad to hear that. I'm Andrew by the way."

"Kurt," he said, offering his free hand to the man in front of him. "And this," Kurt continued, gesturing to Claire who he still held in his arms. "Is Claire, my daughter."

"Nice to meet you Claire," Andrew said. Claire didn't look up. "I think it's time for us to get home," Kurt said, checking his watch. "But it was nice to meet you Andrew!" "You too."

As Kurt left the park, heading home, Claire holding one of his hands as they navigated their way through traffic, he found himself smiling. Yes, he was sure he was going crazy, and yes, he would most likely have a small meltdown later that night over the fact that for about ten seconds, he had thought Blaine was back, but he still couldn't help but smile. That might just be another sign that he was going mad though.

He pondered the events of the day as he sat on the sofa, after having put Claire to bed, twirling the ring on his finger he could never make himself take off. A year and a half. 18 months had passed since Kurt had last seen Blaine. Since Blaine had promised him he was coming back.

There was something about that promise that made Kurt keep the ring on. He knew he still loved Blaine. He knew he would probably love him for the rest of his life. And that was okay.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Kurt shouted in the general direction of the front door as he rushed around the apartment, picking up the things he needed and cleaning up after Claire's lunch. "Come on honey," he said to Claire, who was sitting on the couch with her legs crossed.

He slid down, and ran towards her father. "You're going to have a sleepover with Auntie Rachel," he said, and she clapped excitedly. Three more rapt knocks rang through the room, and Kurt made an irritated noise. "She can't even wait for one minute, that one," he said, making Claire laugh.

He opened the door, finding Rachel outside with her hands on her hips. "What took you so long?" she asked irritably. Kurt rolled his eyes. "I do have a three year old daughter to take care of you know," he answered. Rachel didn't answer, instead choosing to crouch down until she was closer to Claire's height.

"Your father should know that he never lets a lady wait," she said. Claire giggled, holding a hand to her mouth to stifle the sound. "I'm sorry Rachel, but this little lady is a more important part of my life than you are," he said, raking his fingers through his daughter's brown hair.

Rachel stood up again, facing Kurt. "So, where are you going tonight? Got a date?" she asked, nudging his side. He rolled his eyes at her again. "No," he said. "I'm just going out for dinner with some people from work." Rachel nodded. "Sure you are," she said with a wink.

"Let's go, Claire, I have loads of fun stuff planned for us to do." Kurt kneeled down to kiss the top of his daughter's head, giving her a brief hug. "Goodbye honey, have fun," he said, smiling. "I will," she said, grinning. He handed the bag with Claire's things over to Rachel, hugging her goodbye and thanking her again for taking care of her for him.

Kurt watched them disappear down the hall, disappearing around the corner, heading towards the elevators, before turning and heading back inside. He was just going out with some friends from work. It wasn't a big deal.

It wasn't as if he had a date or something. After his brief attempt at dating the previous year, he hadn't tried again. He had, however, started going out again, as he had done before Blaine's … disappearance, two years before.

He went into his bedroom and opened the closet door, pulling out the outfit he'd put together earlier that day. After a quick shower, he got dressed in a pair of tight, black jeans that hugged him in all the right places and a crimson shirt Blaine had always loved.

He started fixing his hair, barely finishing when his phone beeped with a text from one of his coworkers. 'I'll most likely run late, but you can just start without me, and I'll catch up with you later.'

Kurt rolled his eyes as he tapped out a quick 'okay' message. Julie was always late to these things. But that also meant that Kurt could take some extra time getting ready, since he knew he wouldn't arrive later than her anyway. And so Kurt found himself on the couch, the TV turned off, relaxing for the first time in what felt like forever.

Work had been extremely stressful the past week, because of someone leaving unexpectedly. It had sent the entire office into overdrive, when they had to work extra for the person who had left. And if that wasn't enough, Claire had been hyper and energetic all night long. Even more than usual, that is. This meant that not only could Kurt get no slack at work, he couldn't get any at home either.

Without warning, Kurt had fallen asleep, exhausted from the stress of the past weeks. He woke up a while later by his phone beeping in his pocket. It was another text, this time from Michael, asking where he was. He checked his clock. "Shit," Kurt said to himself. He was nearly half an hour late.

After rushing back into his bedroom to check his hair, tweaking the few straws that weren't in place, he all but ran out of the apartment, down the stairs and out on the street, signaling for a cab. One stopped right in front of him, and he got in, telling the driver where to go.

When he arrived, nearly an hour late, the others were already seated at a table, a couple of glasses already empty. He bought the next round, seeing as how he was late. Julie arrived a few minutes later, buying another one, and somehow, the drinks just kept on coming. And Kurt kept on drinking, until he forgot all about the stress and the pain and the fact that he hadn't slept properly for weeks.

When Kurt got home that night he was drunk off his feet and barely managed to put his key in the lock. He collapsed on the sofa almost as soon as he came inside, without even taking his shoes off.

When he awoke the next morning, there was a loud banging in his head. Bang, bang, bang on the inside of his skull. He tried opening his eyes, but the daylight only made it worse, so he immediately shut them again.

His mouth was dry, and he was sure his hair looked like hell. The banging in his head wouldn't stop, but kept on going. And then he realized it. It wasn't in his head. Someone was outside his apartment, banging on his door.

His eyes flew open and, ignoring the way it made his head throb, he got up, stumbling blindly towards the front door. It was probably just Rachel; despite his instructions to not bring Claire back early in the morning, like she had last time. But then again, he really had no idea what time it was.

He opened the door, and was surprised as he was faced with a dozen red roses. "What –" Kurt began, thinking that there had to be some mistake, but before he could finish the sentence, the roses were moved away, revealing the man behind them to be, not a pasty faced teenage delivery boy, as he had expected, but a man with dark curly hair, hazel eyes, and a huge smile on his face.

"Blaine?" Kurt asked incredulously.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Kurt? Kurt?" Kurt opened his eyes. Above him was a man who looked suspiciously like Blaine. He had the same messy curls, though they were longer than when Kurt last had seen him. His eyes were exactly the same shade of hazel too. His mind must be playing a cruel trick on him, because it couldn't be Blaine. It just couldn't.

"Are you okay?" the hallucination asked, brows creasing just the way Blaine's used to. "You're dead," he mumbled, sitting up. The hallucination smiled softly. "Do I look dead to you?" he asked. Kurt shook his head, getting up off the floor. "How much did I really have to drink last night," Kurt wondered out loud.

"Kurt, it's me, Blaine." Kurt ignored him. Pretending he was real wouldn't do his sanity any good. "I must be going crazy. That's the only explanation." The hallucination grabbed ahold of him and spun him around. "How did you do that," Kurt asked. "You're not real."

Kurt tried to twist away but the hallucination only tightened his hold. "Kurt, listen to me. I'm. Not. Dead." When Kurt still wouldn't stop struggling, Blaine surged forward and captured Kurt's lips in a kiss. Kurt stopped moving, surprised by the sudden turn of events.

When they pulled back, tears started welling up in Kurt's eyes. "But you have to be. You can't be real. You just can't." Blaine moved closer, wrapping his arms around Kurt, embracing him with strong arms. "It's okay. You're safe. We're safe."

Blaine slowly guided him over to the sofa, pulling him down with him. "Blaine?" Kurt asked, looking up from where his face was pressed into his shirt. "Yeah, I'm here," Blaine said with a small smile. "What happened?" Kurt asked in a small voice, and Blaine's smile fell.

"I – I don't know how much they already told you," he said, looking down at his hands. "They told me you were on a mission, securing an old building or something, when it collapsed." Blaine nodded. "Yeah, that was – that was what happened I guess. I was pretty deep inside when the building collapsed, and I was knocked unconscious, so it took them a while to find me."

"And when they did, my injuries were so bad that they had to sedate me for weeks. And after that I was still pretty banged up. My leg and wrist was broken and I had a severe concussion. Let's just say it took me a while to get my head working again."

"And I – I had lost a lot of memories. Post-traumatic amnesia they called it. Basically I didn't remember any information they might have used to get in touch with someone back home. All phone numbers, addresses, even names. Nothing. Not even my own. I remembered you though. Every little detail. I never forgot."

Kurt smiled sadly. He had so many questions, but he figured he would wait until Blaine had finished his story. And besides, if it turned out in the end that Kurt was in fact crazy, at least he could enjoy his hallucination a little bit longer.

"I was in the hospital for what seemed like ages. I should probably have been sent home, but they had no idea who I was, so they had nowhere to send me. So after about 6 months, once my leg was mostly healed and I was healthy enough, I decided to stay and help out. At least until I regained my memories and could return to the beautiful prince waiting for me back home." At this Blaine reached up and stroked down the side of Kurt's face slowly, as if savoring it.

"So I worked there, for about 9 months, helping out and stuff, while my leg recovered. And then something happened. I can't exactly explain what it was, but one day, I woke up, and I just knew. I knew everything. I knew who I was, and who you were, and Claire, and I knew I had to get back, as soon as possible."

"So I told my officers everything and they were of course very excited that I had regained my memories, but they told me I couldn't get back home yet, due to flight complications or something. So I had to stay there for three more months until I could get back home. I landed this morning, and went straight home to you." Blaine finished his story by looking up at Kurt's face, as if searching them for something.

"I – I don't know what to say," Kurt said finally, breaking the silence. "You don't have to say anything," Blaine promised. So Kurt didn't. They just sat together in silence for a while, until Blaine couldn't hold his question anymore.

"How's Claire doing?"

Kurt looked up, surprised at the question. Though he guessed he really shouldn't be. It was just natural for Blaine to want to know how his daughter was doing after not seeing her for over two years.

"I mean, what did you tell her happened… to me?"

Kurt looked down, biting his lip. "She's doing well," he began. "And I told her you had disappeared. She didn't understand why we had to have a funeral for someone who has only disappeared," Kurt said with a small laugh.

Blaine nodded, about to say something when someone knocked loudly on the door. "Oh shit," Kurt said. "That's probably Rachel and Claire." Blaine shot up, out of his seat. "Claire?" he asked, as if he hadn't heard correctly. Kurt nodded, and went to open the door.

"Hello Kurt, how was your night?" Rachel asked once he opened the door. She opened her mouth to keep talking but Kurt shot her a look that said 'not now Rachel', so she shut up. "What's wrong?" she asked instead. Kurt ignored her, turning towards Claire instead.

"Claire, do you remember when I said that Papa had gone away?" Claire nodded, eyes wide and shining. "Well, look who's back," he said, and Blaine stepped out from the living room.

Rachel's jaw dropped. "Blaine?" she asked incredulously as she took a step forwards. Claire was quicker though, and as usual, Blaine only had eyes for her. She ran towards him, and Blaine bent down and scooped her into his arms. "Man, you're so much bigger than I remember," he laughed. "Papa," she said, burying her face in his neck, not unlike Kurt had done not half an hour earlier.

"It's alright, honey, I'm here," he whispered, trying to calm her down. "It's all gonna be alright now," he promised.

Meanwhile, Kurt could do nothing but stare as the two reunited. A father and his daughter who hasn't seen each other for two years. Everything was perfect. Or at least it was going to be.


	7. Epilogue

Epilogue

"Do you take Kurt, to be your lawful wedded husband, in sickness and in health, for better or for worse, for as long as you both shall live?" Blaine nodded, his eyes on Kurt. "I do," he said, squeezing Kurt's hand lightly. "And do you, Kurt, take Blaine, to be your lawful wedded husband, in sickness and in health, for better or for worse, for as long as you both shall live?" "I do," Kurt said, blinking hard to keep his tears at bay.

"I now declare you husband and husband. You may kiss each other." "You don't need to tell me twice," Blaine said breathlessly, diving in to grab Kurt's face tenderly as the people around them laughed. As they pulled back, a little flower girl in a light blue dress came running up to them. "Claire," Blaine said, letting go of Kurt and crouching down to his daughter to pick her up.

"Papa," she said, laughing as he swung her around. "How does it feel, Mr. Anderson-Hummel," Kurt asked him, smiling softly. "How does what feel, Mr. Hummel-Anderson?" he asked. "Being married." "Well, it feels pretty good right now but I'll let you know in the morning," Blaine said with a wink, earning him a smack on the arm from his husband. "Idiot," Kurt muttered, rolling his eyes. "Now come on, we've got a reception to go to."

Blaine nodded, and grabbed Kurt's hand with his free one. They walked together as they greeted their families and friends. The rest of the night passed in a blur of dancing and eating and laughing and drinking, and somehow Kurt and Blaine ended up alone in a hotel room, while Claire stayed with Burt and Carole for the night.

Kurt giggled tipsily as they stumbled into their room, collapsing on the bed. Blaine followed soon after, collapsing on top of Kurt and giggling into his ear. "I love you," he said, leaning down to press his lips against Kurt's. "I love you too," Kurt answered, breaking the kiss. "I'm never letting you go again, Blaine," he whispered. Blaine smiled down at him. "I'm never saying goodbye to you."

**End note: Yeah yeah yeah, this is short and horrible and all that jazz but I felt I needed to finish this story somehow.**


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